


The Dark Crystal: Tale Of The Twin Shards

by Random_human_on_the_internet



Category: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Lord this is a mess, Most of this was written at ungodly hours, SkekSa is the Vodka aunt, Skeksil is a manipulative dick, Skeksis feel somthing other than pure evil, The OC is a literall sass bean, Things will get a tad OOC but trust me, Velociraptor Disney princess vibes, a few of them do, and we love him, fight me, no beta we die like men, well i mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_human_on_the_internet/pseuds/Random_human_on_the_internet
Summary: The Skeksis have ruled over the crystal for 1000 trine. Thra is tired of their tyranny and devises a plan. If the Skeksis wont listen to Thra, they'll listen to one of their own.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Lord have mercy. This is a passion project of mine and I think yall will be able to see that. This is my first EVER posted Fanfiction and its very special to me. I want to do somthing differnt for the Dark crystal and I hope to accomplish that. Things may be a little rocky but I hope you stick around!

There has been a saying throughout time: Thra finds a way. The Skeskis have ruled over Thra for nearly 1000 trine, They've abused their power, they've abused Thra. The time has come for a solution. The crystal has not been reguivanteing the Skeksis for almost a week; they are frantic. Now is the time for Thra to act, If the Skeksis won't listen to Thra itself, they'll listen to their own kind.

As the Skeksis perform their daily rejuvenation ritual something different happens. The usual beams of light do not heal them, the light only grows within the crystal, it continues to do so until it flashes, blinding the skeksis. Twin shards break off from the Crystal. one of the shards launches into the sky, the other floats among them.  
  
The Skeksis are hysterical, trying to figure out which one of them broke the crystal, they stop their bickering once the shard starts to make a melodious sound, it shines and starts to take form, of what, they are not certain. Before they can speculate the crystal shard blinds them once again. Before they can open their eyes they hear a thump and a shrill cry, as their vision returned to them they see a most frightening sight. 

A Skeksis, no, a childling? What is that thing!? Of course different Skeksis have different ideas on what they should do with it. The Scientist says study it, the General says dispose of the monster, they start to argue and bicker. They scream and hiss; the childling inquisitively stares. it laughs at their squabbling. When the little monster does this the Crystal sings and overfills them the Skeksis with more energy than ever before. They are as healthy as they were 100 trine ago…

this thing must be connected to the crystal….it could be of use...The Emperor lifts the little….Squab. This will be their way to eternal life…..He smirks, Declaring this abomination will be called SkekCrys, And it….will be their salvation


	2. Chapter 1

SkekCrys awakened with the dawn of the three suns. She stretches and yawn. Getting up she looked out the window and smiled, ‘What a lovely morning.’ She muses to herself. She strolls over to her vanity, wrinkling her beak at the reflection. She. Is. A. Mess. Her hair and head feathers are all over the place, her scales dull from lack of polishing..... If the Ornamentalist saw her like this he would faint. Sighing she preens, humming a cheerful tune.

After she completes her beauty routine it's time put on her dress and robes. This is always the worst part of her day. SkekCrys may be grateful for the beautiful clothing the Ornamentalist has so graciously made for her….They are just so heavy! The dress takes forever to put on, and it is horrendously uncomfortable! She would love to wear a simple dress, or even pants! However, if she were to dress like that it would bring dishonor to the Skeksis…. So heavy clothes will do.

Standing up she brushes herself off and looks in the mirror. SkekCrys has always been different from the others. Her eyes are a bright purple, her coloring a pale lilac, dark purple hair and as well as head feathers reaching her waist, her scales are prominent and a dark purple; Like all Skesis she has a second pair of arms, Though hers the same size as the first, unlike her seniors who's are withered and railey used. Because of that her arms are kept hidden under her robes. She is a rather ugly thing, at least, that's what the others say. That is not the only way that SkekCrys differs from her caretakers

She has a gift. The Skeksis may be the lords of the Crystal but, SkekCrys can draw from the Crystal's power at any time. She can create things with the Crystal's energy. There is one issue, She is not able to fully control it. The only thing she can accomplish at any given time is help her caretakers heal.

With a sigh she looks at herself with heavy scrutiny, ‘ I should be more advanced in my abilities.’ Unfortunately, she is not, and her caretakers are punished for it. She heals them, And by the end of the day…. they are in pain and miserable.…... No matter what she does…… “No!” she shakes her head “Today is beautiful. I am not going to let my pessimism ruin things!” with a smile SkekCrys marches out the door. She bids The gaurds good morning and walks through the long hallways of the castle.

She must get to her lessons with the Scroll-keeper. If she is late again, he will be furious. She tries to get to the library with haste, but hears a commotion. SkekCrys cannot help her curious nature, so she investigates the mysterious ruckus.

Turning the corner She sees one of the guards pestering the podling servants. The annoying podlings are pushing a cart with various goodies. She giggles when she sees whom the mischievous little guard is, Rian, Son of Captain Ordon. She likes to watch him every now and again, he is a tricky little thing, "It is my sworn duty as a castle guard to keep the lords safe.” he proclaims as he gets closer to the cart, “ How do I know these aren't poisoned?” SkekCrys can see the mischievous glint in his eyes, “Well, there's only one way to find out.” The young Skeksis stifles a giggle when one of the podlings slaps his hand away, “I'm sure the lords wouldn't mind if a few went missing, after all, the Skeksis are generous. And you have to admit these do look tasty.” one podling looks at the food in thought.

SkekCrys is impressed. The little Gelfling is good with words. She sees Rian turn and whisper for someone, ah, his little partner, Mira. The Other Gelfling turns the corner. He winks and while the podlings are arguing, Mira tries to take something from the cart and the podlings notice. The little servants run up to her and have a little tizzy “ I didn't take anything, see?” she lifts her hands to show that she is indeed telling the truth. The servants sigh and say some rude things to the small gelfling guard. While they are preoccupied Rian runs up and grabs a fruit from the cart “Mira, Run!” he chuckles and runs off. She follows him, grabbing a fruit herself. SkekCrys chortles, such mischievous things! Their cunning nature makes her want to pick them up and pinch their cheeks! She shakes off the excitement, She has more important things to attend to.

She goes to the library only to find that SkekOk is not there. How strange, The Scroll-keeper never late for a lesson. Perhaps he and the others are still performing their morning ritual, ‘I’ll go to the crystal.’ 

When SkekCrys arrives at the center of the castle where the crystal lies; no one is there. This is worrying, where is he?..... Wait, it's been a trine since SkekOk and SkekLach have been to Ha’rar. They must be with the emperor. How could she have forgotten?!

SkekCrys has never been outside the castle; Her caretakers say, “You are too young and inexperienced.” But she is no longer a mere fledgling! ‘ I can help take care of the kingdom too!’  
She stops and thinks, She has been in the Emperor's good graces lately, maybe if she were to ask politely…. He would permit her to go! She gets excited at the prospect and runs to the throne room. 

Halting at the corridor SkekCrys takes a deep breath, adjusts her feathers and looks down, ‘Now or never…’ she enters the room while they are in the middle of discussing the trip. The Emperor notices her and immediately scowls, “ What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice low, “ can't you see that we are in the middle of discussing something?” SkekCrys holds her breath, “ My deepest apologies, Sire, I was on my way to my morning lessons and realized the Scroll-keeper is going to Ha’rar…..” She looks up towards him and notices the Chamberlain. ‘SkekSil doesn't treat me as a mere fledgling. ‘I may have a chance if he convinces the emperor  
I should go!’ She looks at SkekSil with a glint of hope in her eyes. 

The Emperor looks unamused “ And why is that any of your concern?” The annoyance in his tone makes her flinch. “ I would like to go with them.” she looks him in the eye, he is not impressed. The Collector laughs at the idea “ You, go to Ha’rar? Why do you think we would allow a fledgling like you to come to something this important? “ SkekCrys sneers at her, “I am Not a fledgling.” She stops to rethink her tone, being disrespectful is not going to help her case. “ I think it would be a good learning experience. I need to learn how you help keep the empire in order, and I should at least know how the kingdom looks. I can read about it all I want, but seeing it is an entirely different experience.” She tries her best not to glare at the Collector and bows her head submissively. The Emperor looks her up and down, “ No. Perhaps someday, but not now. You're dismissed” he waves her away. There's nothing she can do now. SkekCrys Courtesies and leaves to her chambers.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Seeing the young one outright ask the Emperor for something is surprising, she has gained a backbone over the years. The Emperor has been on edge ever since the crystal has stopped rejuvenating them for a few days now…..The Chamberlain hums, it's time to plant his idea, “ Is Emperor pleased with his decision?” SkekSo shoots him a glare “ Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?” The Chamberlain nods, “ Hmm, SkekCrys has been unhappy, Emperor is unhappy, Crystal is unhappy….Perhaps there is a way to fix.” The Emperor gives him a questioning scowl “What are you talking about?” He snaps. The Chamberlain hums in thought “ The answer has always been there. When young SkekCrys is happy, Crystal is happy. When Crystal is happy, we are rewarded.” He looks to the Emperor and bows his head “ If Emperor gives young SkekCrys illusion of importance she gets happy, easier to mold to our will. Skekis will be able to use her power to their Benefit. Crystal will be back under Skeksis control.” He smiles when the Emperor realizes this. The Emperor hums and sits up straight up, “ I will allow her to go. Gather her for me, Chamberlain.” With a smirk Chamberlain bows his head, “Yes, Sire.” He leaves, chuckling at the Collector and the Scroll keepers discontent.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When SkekCrys arrives at her chambers she gets on her bed and covers her face with a pillow to scream, 'How dare they! I am practically an adult and they treat me like a childling! it is infuriating!’

She throws her pillow across the room and groans, “Why am I not treated like an important piece of the puzzle? I am the one keeping them healthy! I deserve a little more respect!” Her angry rant is interrupted by a knock at the door. With her temper still overflowing she screams “ WHAT DO YOU WANT!?” There is a pause, then the door opens and her heart stops. its SkekSil…..She just screamed at Skeksil….. immediately she bowed her head and grovels “ I am so sorry! I did not know it was you, I thought it was a podling! “ he lifts his hand, putting her frantic apologies to silence. “ Why is young SkekCrys so angry?” he asks her in a calm tone. Sighing, she let her shoulders sag, she couldn't lie to SkekSil… “ Everyone treats me like an annoying fledgling. They act like I am not important and it bothers me.'' She crosses her arms and huffs, “ I do a lot for everyone here. I would like to be appreciated” she cringes at the way her voice cracks. ‘No, I am not about to cry. This is a stupid thing to cry over.’ SkekCrys closes her eyes, not allowing angry tears to fall. SkekSil hums and puts his hand on her shoulder 

“ Chamberlain thinks you are important. The others see you as fledgling because they are scared by what that means, Soon will be treated like grown skeksis, soon, soon. must be patient.” SkekCrys whimpers at his words.

He's right…..She is being ungrateful. The other Skeksis have given her everything…..How could she be so selfish? They are the Lords of the Crystal, they'll know when she is ready to leave….With a small sob SkekCrys embraces the Chamberlain with all four of her arms “ Thank you….I really needed that.” SkekCrys can feel the way he squirms under her touch, surprisingly he returned the gesture “Chamberlain will always say and do what is best for SkekCrys.” he pats her back and they part. “Now, what did you come in here for? I know it wasn't for emotional support.” she asks, SkekSil hums with a smirk forming on his beak “Emperor wishes to see you. Come, must go with haste.” he turns and walks ahead. 

SkekCrys walks behind him to process his words ‘The Emperor wants to see me? why?' Oh, punishment. She interrupted his conversation….’ I am going to get it…..’ She wonders what he's going to do. probably hang her by the tail…. 

SkekSil and SkekCrys enters the throne room. She has already accepted defeat, her body language screams it; head held low, Shoulders sagging, ‘ Maybe if I look pitiful he’ll go easy on me.” SkekSil goes to the emperor's side, SkekCrys is left in the middle of the room. She sees the Emperor's blank expression and looks down in shame.

“ I have Contemplated what you said earlier.” He says, staring the young Skeksis down “ There is no better time for you to learn how we Skeksis deal with the Gelfling. You may go with the Collector and the Scroll keeper.” 

SkekCrys blinks once, twice, ‘no, nono, he did not just- what!?’ He must see her visible surprise and clears his throat. Looking up She widley smiles and courtesies as low as she can muster “ Thank you sire, I will not waste this opportunity you have bestowed on me...” She stood back up and bowed her head “ Many, many,many,many,many thanks-" 

“that is enough, you may leave now.”

She nods and rushes out of the room. SkekCrys Runs to the carriage, not even thinking about the Gelfling seeing her look like a dolt, she is far too excited. She catches up to the Collector and the Scroll keeper. The collector rolls her eyes at the young Skeksis presence, “ Another trine, another wretched carriage ride to Ha’rar, another interminable Tithing ceremony.” She whines.  
“ I enjoy the Gelfling capital.” the Scroll keeper responds “ I think it possesses a certain...malodorous charm.” SkekLach groans, “ Oh, that mountain air plays havoc with my pustules.” SkekCrys walks behind them, not interested in their conversation, she can only think about leaving…..she finally gets to see the kingdom......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh lord I have a feelin that was choppy as sin. Hope y'all survived reading that. anyway comments are loved. Sorry for the uhhhhh BADNESS but ya know I want to write this. I have enough time **Cough** Quarantine **cough**


	3. Chapter 2

The carriage ride to Ha’rar was nothing short of mystifying for SkekCrys. Thra was more beautiful than she ever imagined, and that was only part of it. The mountains are beautiful and cold. 

Sticking her head out the window, she sees the quaint houses and buildings of the Vapra. “This is absolutely spectacular! I cannot believe you two get to come here every year!” The Collector groans “Get your head back in here! “ She grabs the young Skeksis gown and pulls her back, “The Gelfling are going to think you're an idiot.” SkekOk nods “We have an image to uphold, young one. Remember that.” SkekCrys rolls her eyes “I Only Wanted to see-!“ SkekCrys’ whining was interrupted by the carriages sudden stop. 

SkekOk places his head through the curtains “Why have we stopped!? What is the meaning…” SkekCrys notices the way he falters. She scoots over, sticking her head out of the window. 

“Did we hit something?” Looking down she sees a little Gelfling on the ground. SkekOk gasps “Oh… Watch yourself, Gelfling. Little things have a habit of being stepped on by….Big things.” he says.

SkekCrys looks at the small gathering of Gelfling. They are in awe at her presence; they are also relived at the safety of their….princess? 

“A princess?” SkekCrys and SkekOk ask in unison, “Yes, my lord. I Am Brea, the youngest daughter of the All-Maudra.” The youngest Skeksis gasps “So you are a princess!” she claps her hands, SkekOk nods “Your mother has been of Great Service to us. You must allow us to escort you to the citadel.” he extends his hand toward the princess “It would be our pleasure.” The princess looks at his hand with uncertainty “Thank you, my lord, but--” he interrupts her refusal “ Uh-uh! I insist. Come! Come.” after a pregnant pause the Princess takes his hand and enters the carriage.

The princess takes a seat next to SkekLach. “Look, SkekLach. We have a Princess in our carriage.” The collector hacks in acknowledgment. The Princess looks down, “ I'm not much of a princess, my lord. Not like my sisters. Tavra’s a great warrior, and Seladon is the eldest, so she’ll be All-Maudra one day-” 

“Blah, Blah. Proceed!” SkekLach starts the carriage up. 

The young Lord looks closely at the princess “What’s that on your cheek?“ She asks. The princess slightly blushes “Ink, my lord. I keep a journal where I record all that I learn.” SkekCrys widely smiles “You can read? Oh how wonderful! “ She leans in close, “ I also keep a journal.” Breas’s eyes widen in surprise “You do?” 

"Of course! Since I am the youngest I have a lot to learn. Writing down everything the others teach me makes it easier to remember it all.” SkekCrys’ feathers puff up in excitement. 

SkekOk looks the young Skeksis up and down “Do you forget who taught you to do such things?” he huffs. SkekCrys chortles “Of course not!” She looks to Brea “The Scroll- keeper here taught me all about the written word.” The princess gasps and looks to the Scroll-keeper, “ I’ve read All about you! You’re in charge of the Great Library at the Castle of the Crystal!” 

“Hm, I see you've done your research” 

“Is it a big library?” The princess asks.

“Simple childling, it is endless. I have tomes that go back a thousand trine.” The princess pauses, then asks “May I visit your library?”

“No!” SkekLach hacks out, “That Knowledge is forbidden.” She states.

“B-But why?” the princess meekly asks.

SkekLach sniffles “ Do you see this face? Once, this was a beautiful face….then...came Knowledge..:” a long strand of puss leaks from her beak and onto the princess’s seat.

“Oh hush! Such rubbish. You were never beautiful” The Scroll-keeper exclaims. SkekCrys rolls her eyes and chuckles at the two.

“ I would personally like to visit your library princess, Perhaps you can show me after the tithing ceremony.” Breas ears perk up “I would be honored my lord…” The Princess lowers her head.

The carriage ride was over before The two young ones knew it. The Skeksis and princess enter castle, Captain Ordon announces their presence. The All- Maudra does not look happy about the princess being with Lords, “The All-Maudra looks cross. Not to worry, I will speak with her on your behalf.” The Scroll-keeper whispers to the princess. Brea lets out a slight gasp and hugs the Scroll-keeper, “Thank you.” 

The older two Skeksis wave the princess away. The All-Maudra starts saying a speech but SkekCrys isn’t listening. She looks around the throne room. It’s so different than their own; everything is bright and ethereal. Maybe she could ask SkekEkt redecorate her room like this. 

“All hail the Lords of the crystal!” SkekCrys imminently gets snapped back into reality at that remark. She enjoys the way they bow and praise her and the others; it’s nice to be appreciated. 

Setting up the ceremony is _**BORING**_. All their doing is standing around and waiting…..The young Skeksis walks over to the youngest princess, hoping to make conversation

“ So...Is this part always so boring?” she asks. Brea looks up to her “I do not know, my Lord, this is my first time attending the ceremony.” 

SkekCrys is taken aback “ Really? We have a lot in common, little princess; this is my first time attending as well.” She smiles, Brea looks up "Really?" The princess asks, dumbfounded.

SkekCrys hums and nods her head, "Yes, really. The others feared me too young to be attending significant things such as this." SkekCrys rolls her eyes

"I know exactly how that feels. Being the youngest can be awful sometimes." Brea sighs

"Sometimes? Don't you mean all the time!" The young Skeksis snorts. Brea stifles a chuckle. She finds the young Lord rather relatable.

"Perhaps things are looking up for the both of us! We'll both be regarded as important." SkekCrys crosses her arms, "it's the people who stay in libraries all day that end up being on top. The strong and brazen ones get the glory for a little while, but they die quickly."

The princess thinks about the lord's words. She finds that the youngest lord speaks true, " You're right, my lord. Thra will need us one day."

In the middle of this pleasant conversation, SkekCrys feels a tugging at her heart. She stops and holds her breath, putting her hand on her chest to make sure her heart is still beating.

“My Lord, are you all right?" Brea asks, noticing the Lord’s distress.

The feeling in SkekCrys' chest disappears abruptly. “I am... Fine. It must be the mountains thin air, I'm not used to it..." The princess looks concerned but decides to leave it alone. The sounds of horns playing means that it's at long last time for the ceremony to start.

SkekCrys makes her way over to the others, wondering what that whole feeling was about. Is there something wrong with the crystal? She has felt it not emitting out as much energy, but it couldn't be that bad. She would know if it wasn't feeling well...wouldn't she?

She does not have time to think about that. Once the tithe the SkekCrys looks at the Gelflings offerings, she's always found Gelfling adorable and charming. Seeing them give to the Lord's fills her up with pride

The ceremony goes on for hours. SkekCrys gets so bored that she nearly falls asleep standing up until something happens. A Gelfling couple presents their tithe; it's nothing but a few pieces of fruit.

“Your tithe is wanting." The All-Madura solemnly states.

“Yes your grace, we beg the Lords forgiveness. Our land has suffered a strange blight; nothing grows."

SkekCrys grows concerned, “A blight?" The young lord moves from her spot to get closer to the Gelfling pair “How long has this blight plagued your land?" She asks

" Nearly a season my lord." The farmer states

The scroll keeper and The Collector haven't been paying attention to the young Lords question they're merely looking at a necklace around the ladies neck

" Lovely." SkekOk drawls out.

" What is, my lord?"

"That piece....about your neck." The two elder Skeksis nudge the younger out of the way to gawk at the necklace

" My lord is too kind, It was my mothers. Her final wisdom is dream etched into the stone."

Oh no....SkekCrys knows exactly what they are about to do.

“Now this...This would make an honorable tithe!" The Gelfling in the long line gasp

" Please, anything but the pendant." The farmer begs, “Perhaps next harvest-"

The older two Skeksis gasp, “Why? Why do Gelfling hurt us so? Skeksis give so much and ask so, so little! It breaks our hearts....." SkekOk turns and shakes his head, "Sad! So sad."

It doesn't help the whole situation when the Gelfling in the line start causing a ruckus, demanding that the two poor farmers pay and that Skeksis should merely take the pendant.

"The lords are benevolent! Kind! They never take that which is not given." The All-Madura bellows

The farmer looks to his partner and apologizes to her. He takes off the pendant hands it to the scroll keeper.

“The Tithe is accepted!"

SkekCrys wants to scream. This feels wrong. The Gelfling give to the Skeksis because it shows they are grateful. The Skeksis deserve these gifts because they work so hard and really do ask for so little in return, but this... It's wrong she doesn't know why, but it is.

The youngest princess seems to notice her dilemma but after the tithe is given the ceremony continues.

At the end of the day SkekCrys made her way over to the library to find a princess looking through a book.

She lets out a heavy so high " I'm sorry about the others, they can get a little over-dramatic at times." SkekCrys looks over Brea's shoulder “Ah, you’re reading the laws."

What's a deep breath Brea looks up at the Young Skeksis " None of it makes sense"

" What?" SkekCrys asks, genuinely curious

Brea stops, the princess can’t believe she’s actually saying this to one of the lords. Although, this one appears to be more agreeable than the others.

“If the Skeksis are all-powerful and they have everything, then why do they take tithes from even the poorest Gelfling?"

SkekCrys takes a moment to think "Hm, you do make a good point.....I see it like this, The older Skeksis do a lot for the Gelfling, you benefit from their rule. They ask for very little....don't you think that giving a little to show appreciation is called for? If everyone gives than it proves you care for us."

Brea takes a breath “Yes, my lord that does make sense.......but it seems like.....they want us to fight each other for the scraps..."

SkekCrys takes a step back, “Why would you say that? The others may be...cranky, but they care for you..." she looks at the princess with a distressed expression. Why ould the princess even think like this?

The young Skeksis takes the book to look it over, _'the princess must be reading this wrong'_

She looks over the book to see it indeed makes sense, she doesn’t see what the princess is talking about.

"I think you've read this wrong. " SkekCrys goes to put the book away but the princess grabs it

"Believe me, **_Gelfling_** you don’t want to go down this path."

" I think the Skeksis are hiding something, and want to know what!"

"I demand you stop!"

"I demand the truth!"

Suddenly the book glows and both of them drop it. The room shakes and knocks over the intricate towers of books. Green energy escapes the pages and swirls around the library, lifting books and pages in its wake. A symbol appears in the middle, a flower like shape surrounded by a circle. After a moment the symbol dissipates into light.

Both SkekCrys and the princess are in shock. SkekCrys picks up the young princess and runs out of the library.

“What in Thra's name was that!? " she sets down the princess and starts to pace.

" I-i don’t know...." Brea looks back to the library.

"I have to tell SkekOk!" SkekCrys turns and looks to the princess " you and I will finish our discussion at a later date- I'll just send you letters, I have to go!" She lifts up her skirt and runs full speed to the castle.

SkekOk and SkekLach were preparing to return home when SkekCrys runs at them, looking like a mess.

“SKEKOK! I had a vision! There was a symbol and a sound that was like singing but not! “ SkekCrys pants out.

The Scroll-keeper looks her up and down, “Silly fledgling. You're just not used to the air up here, it is making you see things. "

" No! It isn’t the air; I know what I saw! It was....spectacular! And I don't know what it means!" She runs her fingers through her hair

" Oh poppycock!" SkekLach hacks out, “You’re just overly excited as always. Once you get home you'll see that it was all just in your head."

" B-but-"

" Enough. Get in the carriage so you can rest." SkekOk firmly grasps her shoulder and leads her to the carriage

With a final Huff SkekCrys looks at the castle one last time and begrudgingly gets into the carriage.

The young Skeksis is almost completely silent on the way home which is very strange. About halfway there she stars to feel that pulling in her chest again, only this time it's worse. She puts her hand to her heart and grasps SkekOk’s garment

" What are you doing?" He looks over to the Young one and gasps at the sight of her. Her father's keep changing color from a deathly pale to a dark purple, her eyes glowing, she's panting and looks up to him with fear and pain in her eyes.

SkekCrys can feel the crystal drawing energy from something but having it taken away at the exact same time. She can hear someone's pleas for help, their screams. It's so painful, tears run down her face as she lets out a choked scream, she hears a faint no and then silence. After that her world goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So most of this was written in between Destiny 2 matches ( Warlocks ftw) so this might be extremely choppy. SkekCrys' personality is starting to come out more. I hope you enjoy that. Too bad trippy visions and her being connected to the Crystal had to ruin her nearly perfect day.


	4. Chapter 3

Pain. That was the last thing SkekCrys remembered before violently waking up. 

She can't immediately tell where she is, everything is blurry, and she has one of the worst headache she's ever experienced. That doesn't matter. Something's wrong with the Crystal, she needs to fix it.

Sitting up from her spot she hears a voice, SkekCrys can't tell who it is. Every thing is muffled. The suddenness of her movements only makes her headache worse. She holds the sides of her head, trying to calm down.

Everything seems to close in around her; she cannot escape. It Feels like she's drowning, like everything will disappear from underneath her. She's only got back into reality by a firm grasp at her shoulder.

"Snap out of it, young one!" The Voice SkekCrys heard before is more clear. She knows who it is now. SkekTek, her primary caretaker, "Breathe, breathe." He instructs. She takes in a few shaky breaths, and feels a little grounded.

Her initial panic returns when she remembers what she needed to do.

"The Crystal! Something happened to the Crystal! I need to go check-" 

"Oh, no you don't! You've been out for nearly two days! You're not leaving until I fully inspect you."

Skekcrys growls in frustration, "I don't have time for this!" She attempts to get up...But she gets lightheaded and immediately falls back down to her spot.

SkekCrys begrudgingly sits there, ignoring the Scientist's grin.

SkekTek does his regular examinations, muttering to himself; something about consequences and how he told them so. The usual gripes of the Scientist. 

"This isn't necessary, you know. I'm fine, something must have happened to the Crystal, and I violently reacted to it." She grumbles. SkekTek sighs and writes something down.

"You must eat something. Your headache and dizziness is due to dehydration. Other than that, you're fine. " 

"What about the crystal!" She screams. SkekTek turns to glares at the young Skeksis' insubordination. Then she sees it. His eye, or lack of one. She was too angry to pay attention to him before. A machine seems to replace his.....lack of eye. SkekCrys gasps "Your eye! What happened to your eye!?" Forgetting about her anger toward the Scientist, she gets up to look closely at him. 

"It's nothing for you to worry about, SkekCrys. Besides, I can see better than ever." He tries to push her away but to no avail. 

"It is something for me to worry about!" She tries to think about what could have happened, it couldn't have just fallen out.....oh.

"The peeper beetle...... They subjected you to the peeper.... didn't they?" He need not say anything for her to know the answer is yes.

"Let me fix it. Just take that.....Thing...out of your eye socket. " She tries to touch his... New eye? But he immediately pushes her hand away.

"No! If the others saw that you restored me, they would remove both of my eyes! It's fine, like I said, I can see better than ever. Do not trouble yourself with my affairs." 

"B-but SkekTek....." SkekCrys looks down and sighs " Fine...." There's an awkward silence for a while.

"What did you do?.... I mean, the others may be rude to you but you had to have done something for them to use.....That form of punishment...." 

The Scientist looks to the side, "It does not concern you." 

SkekCrys scowls, "You say that, but if it has to do with the Crystal it very much concerns me." Glaring at her primary caretaker she continues, "Did your punishment have to do with the crystal?"

"You could say that.... " 

The young Skeksis holds her breath. She has to be careful, if she loses her top she could get in trouble and honestly, everything hurts too much to be too infuriated.

"SkekTek, could you please, _**please**_ tell me what you did. I just need to know what happened so I can heal properly." She lowers her head. Being submissive towards the Scientist has always worked. 

It didn't this time, he refuses to answer. SkekCrys snarls, feeling it reverberate through her chest. He takes a step back, surprised at her blatant disrespect. Before he can say anything about it the familiar hum of the Chamberlain is heard.

"Scientist, I see you've gotten the beloved young one to awaken." He warmly smiles. SkekCrys isn't having it. 

"Chamberlain, SkekTek won't tell me what happened to the Crystal. You must know what took place.....Tell. Me." She demands, glaring at SkekSil with a fury he's never seen from her. 

"Hmm, why scientist not tell SkekCrys what happened? She deserves to know." The scientist pales. He couldn't be serious...If she knew what they did....

"It is very tragic, what happened. Scientist found Gelfling guard, Mira, in catacombs. He brought her to lab to question why she was there. When Scientist leaves to get something most horrible thing happens! Mira is murdered by Captain's son Rian....Right in front of the Crystal! " He dramatically says, turning away from her, hiding his smirk.

SkekCrys is mortified. Rian loved Mira..... Why would he do such a disgusting thing? To Murder your own kind.... She doesn't even want to think about it. The young Skeksis covers her beak, wanting to puke.

"Why?" Her voice is shaky, eyes watering. SkekSil tuts and shakes his head. 

"This is why Scientist did not want to tell you. It is a lot to take in." He frowns and nods his head sympathetically.

SkekCrys feels rage in her chest, "Where is that monster! I want to punish him! Death, he deserves death!" 

She groans, clutching the sides of her head. Raising her voice isn't helping the constant pounding.

"Hmm, youngest musnt worry. We will punish him accordingly.....When we find him, that is...." "

When you find him?..."

SkekSil hums, "Yes, you see this is why our dear SkekTek was punished... Rian escaped... The Scientist prevented me from catching him, I was stabbed by one of his accomplices! " He says dramatically.

SkekCrys raises a brow. She understands why the Scientist would be punished. But the peeper beetle? Perhaps that was what going a little too far. 

" Who's going after him?" 

"Hmm, his own father."

SkekCrys thinks for a moment.... it makes sense, Who would know Rian better than his own father? But still..... A Gelfling wouldn't be able to complete this job by themselves. A far more Superior Skeksis should go after him. 

The young Lord was about to say something about it before she was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. She was ravenous, to the point where she felt.... Empty?

"Oh my, my, my! Young one! You need something to eat, come. Dinner is almost ready. You must eat." SkekCrys begrudgingly gets up. She still has a lot of questions, but those could wait. She was starving.

The walk to the dining hall was silent. SkekCrys was too busy thinking about everything. She was mostly thinking about this feeling of emptiness deep within her gut. It's more than hunger, she knows that much. 

Entering the dining hall, she sees almost everyone is there except for the ornamentalist and the scientist. SkekTek could not join them since he is still under punishment. 

She takes her seat at the end of the table, not saying anything to anyone which was strange; she is usually very conversational.

"Young one, it's good to see that you're up and about. It was the most worried for you." The Scroll-keeper says, trying to elicit a response from the youngest among them.

Instead, SkekCrys nods. The food hasn't been served yet. All she can think about is getting something in her system. The lack of an answer seems to offend the Scroll-keeper. Before he can complain about her rudeness a Skeksis enters the dining hall..... SkekCrys pales.

SkekEckt the Ornamentalist. He had been gone for several days. Now he's back and his favorite "Art piece" looks like a mess. Her hair is undone, her dress wrinkly, her feathers puffy.... She will get an earful.

"I have arrived! Did you miss me? Oh why am I asking, of course you did! It's me we're talking about!" He dramatically says, his chin up so he can look down at the others. 

SkekCrys is hiding under the table. She cannot deal with this today. The Ornamentalist counts everyone and notices that his precious "Art piece" is nowhere to be found.

"Gourmand, where is my Gem? I have to see her, I have new fabrics! And they will look lovely with her feathers." SkekAyuk is mostly excited that the food will be served and now, he didn't notice the youngest's disappearance. 

"Why should I care! You're here, that means we can eat!" 

The ornamentalist rolls his eyes. Why isn't she here? Shouldn't SkekCrys be excited that he's around?

SkekCrys groans, why did he have to come back today? The Ornamentalist takes his seat and pouts. SkekCrys is determined to stay under the table until the food is brought out.....The smell is intoxicating... It also doesn't help that the Ornamentalist's whining is annoying the Emperor. The young Lord can hear his irritated groan 

"Get out from under there." He commands.

So with an exasperated sigh of defeat SkekCrys gets up from under the table. SkekEckt at first is pleased by her presence....Then he sees the state of her hair and clothing. He lets out an over-dramatic gasp and covers his beak and eyes, "What happened to you!? You look like an absolute horror! Awful! Absolutely awful!! " 

He Springs out of his chair and goes to SkekCrys, running his hands through her hair and Feathers trying to at least make her look a little decent. 

"Hello to you too, SkekEckt...." He ignores the sarcasm "

After my party I am going to fix you. You can't go around looking like that!" He huffs, crossing his arms, "We have an appearance to uphold! I cannot believe my little Gem, my Songbird, looks like she just crawled out of one of the Scientists dirty cages!" He practically screams.

All SkekCrys can do is nod and let SkekEckt do what he wants. After all the poking and prodding and telling her how terrible she looks, SkekEckt goes back to his chair, ready to bask in the attention he's about to receive from everyone else.

The selection of food is quite impressive, of course the Gourmand would go out of his way to make it special for the Ornamentalist. He even included Lefar worms, SkekEckt's favorite. 

Eating live crawlies and other creatures has been a part of everyday life for the young Lord. She's always enjoyed how the creatures would squirm in her mouth. Every time SkekCrys would eat something living she would feel her energy be replenished. But now it's not enough. As the others Gorge out she is left still feeling empty..... what is wrong with her? She can feel this burning need for something more. It's churning within her gut..... 

A Podling servant appears. SkekCrys had asked for more crawlies and he was sent to deliver. She stares at the Podling, drool starting to run down her beak. He sets down the bowl of crawlies, then begins to leave...

Suddenly SkekCrys pounces on him, pinning the servant to the ground. The Podling thrashes and tries to get away but when he looks the young Lord in the eyes, he is transfixed.

She feels it then, when their eyes lock, the need to regain what she's lost....A life force. Her eyes and chest glow. When this happens, the very life force, the essence of this being is absorbed into her body.

When the act is finished, there's nothing left but a soulless husk. But that is not enough. With a snarl she lunges at the Podling's neck, ripping out its throat, tearing the flesh, feasting on it like a wild animal. 

The others are appalled. What is she doing!? What could get her to act like this!!? Its disgusting!

The Emperor remembers SkekTek saying something about SkekCrys gaining side effects because of the drainage of essence. He simply thought her passing out was the extent of the side effects...

SkekVar looks to his emperor. The general won't put a stop to it unless the emperor asks. Such an order never comes. SkekOk just watches, intrigued by this animalistic Behavior.

Once SkekCrys is finished with the husk, she crawls on all sixes underneath the table. After a moment of rustling and snarls, she seems to snap back into reality.

Confused about why she's under the table, she emerges and sits in her chair. SkekCrys no longer feeling empty, In fact she's feeling much better! Back to her happy self. She guesses the scientist was right, maybe she did just need to eat. 

There's an awful taste in her mouth, ' _The chefs did a terrible job today.'_ She thinks.

The Lord's stare at her in horror. SkekCrys is baffled, " what's wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?" She asks. 

The ornamentalist faints. 

" What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh boy, things are getting JUICY! also a little explanation: so when the Skeksis would drain the crystal SkekCrys would eat living things it would replenish her energy. 
> 
> Kinda like they take, she takes.... Just in smaller quantities. Shes always done this. Now that the draining happened its cranked up to 50.
> 
> Also I must apologize for the long wait, Michigan has been crazy with its weather and it was 70° and then it was snowing all day so the internet went out. Hopefully this won't happen again so I can get the chapter up


	5. Chapter 4

Everyone was silent after dinner. All leaving to go to their Chambers, or something else. Leaving SkekCrys alone.  
  
She knows her caretakers aren't good at dealing with emotional things. What she went through was an emotional thing.  
And now they have to deal with a grieving Crystal. Perhaps that's why they all retired for the night so early.   
  
The youngest Lord is full of energy! She feels like she could run around the entire Castle three times over and not break a sweat. What is she going to do with so much energy? She could go to the library and read, paint something, vocally practice...... she clicks her tongue and decides to go to her Chambers.   
  
Changing out of her dirty, wrinkled dress, the young lord sits on her bed, stretching out her second pair of arms. It's still rather early. And she has nothing to do.....SkekCrys knows that everyone is still awake.... She then remembers the Ornamentalist talking about wanting gussie her up! Sitting in a chair for hours will tire her out. So, with a chuckle, SkekCrys puts on a new dress.  
  
It's a simple, yellow gown, with long tight sleeves that bell out into ruffled lace. The front has a cute bow and ruffles on her shoulders. The dress has a built-in corset. The bottom half is ruffled in the front, on the sides it's smooth and silky. Her favorite part of this dress is the back, it has a very comfortable hiding spot for her arms. a large pouch of yellow fabric. To the common Gelfling it would look like a cape of sorts. It's simple, in a very elegant way. 

Not the most extravagant thing she owns, but it's quick and easy to put on so it will have to do.  
  
When SkekCrys is finally finished dressing, she marches her way up to the ornamentalist chambers, humming a tune.  
  
She quickly arrives and politely knocks on the door. She can hear rustling in the room.  
  
"I hope whoever this is knows that they're interrupting my sewing!"   
  
The door dramatically flings open to show a rather annoyed Ornamentalist. Seeing SkekCrys, he takes a step back, still mortified from the earlier events. What the youngest Lord doesn't know is the Emperor ordered the rest of the Skeksis to act like the incident at dinner never happened.....The Ornamentalist takes a deep breath and asks, "What is it you want, my little soprano?"   
  
SkekCrys noticed his reaction but ignores it. She smiles and says in a very preppy tone, "SkekEckt! You said you wanted to fix me! It's early in the night hours, and I know that you could make me dazzling again; If you want to that is?"   
  
The Ornamentalist is still very disgusted with SkekCrys' previous actions but he could never say no to somebody asking him for makeover. That would sinful.  
  
"Oh my little Gem, I will gladly be the one to fix your terrible State. Come, come, we haven't got all night." He takes SkekCrys' hand and drags her to his vanity. Forcibly sitting her down. SkekCrys Chuckles at his haste. He always gets so focused for the art of beauty. Especially when he sews. Thank Thra he isn't making her a dress.....  
  
The night progresses as it usually does when the Ornamentalist does her hair. They gossip about the others, and talk about how SkekEckt is above it all. SkekCrys even sings for him, something they both enjoy.   
  
  
Halfway through, SkekCrys looks at herself in the mirror. She is so different from everyone else, and like the others say, very displeasing to look at.... it is a very good thing that the Ornamentalist is here. Or else she would just be an ugly thing, not worth looking at. She let's out a heavy sigh and looks down.   
  
SkekEckt notices this, " Hey, That's the " I'm feeling ugly" face. I know it well; I see it on the others every day." He Chuckles and continues to comb a section of hair, "What's wrong?" He asks

SkekCrys sighs, " Its nothing" she lies. SkekEckt isn't having any of that.   
  
" Are the others calling you ugly again?" He growls out, tightening his grip on her hair.   
  
" No, no.... well I mean, not today and they never outright say it. It's just in their subtext...." she sighs and clamps her beak shut.   
  
SkekEckt screeches, "Don't you listen to them! They're old and bitter. I will not have something that is nearly as beautiful as me called ugly!" He pushes the young Skeksis closer to the mirror, " Look at yourself, what do you see?"   
  
SkekCrys does as he asks and looks for what seems like an eternity...." I see a lot of purple, I see messy feathers and soft skin, I see scales.... I see somebody who is Young and inexperienced, who hasn't had the many trine to fully live an enriched life and be able to embrace herself like you have..." she closes her eyes and sighs.   
  
" Yes, all of that is true. But you're looking over one word. Young. You Are Young! Celebrate that! I would kill be your age again!" he thinks for a moment and smirks, "Do you know what I see? I see a beautiful Skeksis in their Prime..... and you're right next to him." He throws back his head and laughs, "What I'm getting at is, you're good-looking! If you werent, I would not have you as my personal art piece. You, my Gem, are nearly as beautiful as I. That is a privilege. Remember that." He says, sounding very serious.   
  
SkekCrys feels tears prick at the corner of her eyes. She widely smiles, the Ornamentalist may be eccentric and blunt, but that's what makes his odd compliment even more endearing.  
  
"Th-thank you, SkekEckt.....that means a lot.." she says, wiping away the stray tears that dare leave her eyes.   
  
"Oh, would you look at that, we're getting too serious! You had me scowling and that causes wrinkles! Quick, change the subject!" He dramatically exclaims as he goes back to styling her hair.  
  
"I was wondering... Perhaps tomorrow you could get the choir together and I could sing one of your arias for the others! They have been very stressed lately, especially with what happened to the Crystal..... I think it would be good for everyone. And they could witness your masterful conducting." SkekCrys says with a smile.  
  
  
"That would be marvelous! It has been far too long since I've gotten the choir together, the others don't appreciate good music. I've missed your beautiful voice and it would be nice to have the others bask in my glory." He stops to proudly chortle, " It's settled then, we'll practice tomorrow afternoon at the dining hall. Don't be late."   
  
SkekCrys squeals in excitement. Singing is something she excels in. It is one of her favorite pastimes, she always feels so needed when the Emperor calls her to his presence so she can sing him a song to ease his nerves.   
  
"You know I won't be SkekEckt, I promise!" She smiles, and the evening precedes is normal. A couple hours later her hair is finally done. Put up an intricate braids and large buns, and filled with jewelry. It's a little heavy, and uncomfortable, but she must admit it is beautiful. Even if it makes sparring with the General and other activities difficult....  
  
" You really know the art of beauty SkekEckt! It's wonderful, and I wouldn't expect anything less from you."   
  
He chuckles, " Oh darling, flattery will get you everywhere. I already know I'm a genius. I must say, I am extremely proud with how this turned out, one of my best yet."   
  
SkekCrys stands up and says, " I'm very grateful. You must let me repay you. Come here, I'll fill in your wrinkles." She smiles and extends her hand to the Ornamentalist.  
  
He looks a little offended that she had mentioned his wrinkles, but lets it go. he takes her hand, excited for what comes next.  
  
SkekCrys places one of her hands on his chest, over his heart, the other rests on his cheek. She takes a deep breath and focuses. A purple glow emanates from her hands and heart, an ethereal sound Echoes through the room.   
  
SkekEckt's skin tightens, getting rid of wrinkles and spots that come with age, His hair returns to that youthful shine once had, a few feathers he lost many trine ago return, His flesh changes into a healthier hue. He can feel his joints losing the ache they once had.  
  
  
As quickly as it started, it ends. SkekCrys releases the breath she had been holding. That excitable energy she had before now lessened.  
  
" There you go, good as new." She says looking at her caretakers restoration.  
  
SkekEckt goes to his vanity to inspect himself, happy with the results.   
  
" Not quite, " he says, examining himself closely, "But good enough." The Ornamentalist smiles at himself. The others will be so jealous.   
  
" Now, my little Gem, it is time for me to get my beauty sleep. You can go now. Remember, don't be late for practice tomorrow." He waves her away, continuing to bask in his own beauty.   
  
SkekCrys giggles and curtsies. She leaves the room, trying to think about what to do next....  
  
She feels a nagging at her heart, she's felt it ever since she has woken up. it only lesson that dinner..... Maybe she's guilty? She was awfully rude to the Scientist......She has to apologize to him.  
  
SkekCrys presumes the Scientist must be hungry after missing out on dinner. So she makes her way to the kitchen. When she enters she makes sure SkekAyuk is not there. Thankfully, he isn't, the Gourmand would make grabbing goodies an issue.   
  
  
And so she grabs two pieces of bread, a few Crawlies, tea, and a bowl of....gloop?....It tastes good so he shouldn't care.   
  
She looks through the pantry or something else and sees a tray of sweet rolls. The Scientist and others would give SkekCrys sweet treats if she behaved or did something good..... Or if they wanted to shut her up. Because of that, the youngest Skeksis will do anything for something sweet.  
  
 _'Perhaps a treat will make him feel better'_ she thinks....totally not grabbing them for herself.  
  
It's hard for her not to devour the Honey glazed, perfectly baked, jelly-filled pastries.....so she practices restraint and doesn't eat all of them......she only eats four. Leaving two for the Scientist and one for the road.  
  
The trip to his laboratory was quick. It had to be, so she didn't eat the rest of the sweet rolls. When she gets to his door, she doesn't bother knocking. If she did, he would just send her away.  
  
Walking in, she sees all of his Critters. SkekCrys practically grew up in his lab. The scientist was her primary caretaker, so when the others were tired of her they would just send her down to him. She knows SkekTek cares, even if he doesn't show it most of the time.  
  
She sees SkekTek fixing some machine....a chair? She doesn't know what it's for, but she knows he needs to eat.  
  
"SkekTek! I brought you dinner!" She says loud enough for him to hear.   
  
  
SkekTek whips around to look at her for a moment and then goes back to work.   
  
"Leave me be. I do not need to eat. I must work." He waves her away, hoping that will suffice. It doesn't.  
  
"SkekTek, you have to eat! And I'm not leaving till you do." She sets down the tray of various goodies and places her hands on her hips. SkekTek looks at the food, then his work....his shoulder relax and he sighs.  
  
" I'm only eating for a moment." He states, snatching a piece of bread and the glass of tea. SkekCrys has a proud smirk on her face. She looks over the thing SkekTek is working on. It looks like a chair you strap someone to.....but it's too small for a Skeksis....  
  
" What are you making?" She asks.  
  
He immediately stops devouring his dinner and pushes her away from the chair.   
  
" It's nothing that concerns you!" His attempt to get her away from the chair fails; Though he pushes her back a step or two SkekCrys is so much taller than him, she can simply look over his shoulder with ease. The young Skeksis is actually taller than all of the Lords.   
  
" I'm only curious! What is it for? What does it do? Why are you making it? Did the Emperor want you to make it?" She rattles off questions like a fledgling.  
  
" Enough! " he snarls and pushes her back with all his might, " It is not any of your business! "   
  
SkekCrys bows her head and frowns, "Forgive me....I was only curious...." she says in a hushed tone. SkekTek sighs, if anyone else were to take an interest in his work he would be ecstatic. But he must make sure that SkekCrys never finds out what he's been doing to the crystal. Not only would she be infuriated, oh no, she would probably do something very drastic.  
  
SkekCrys fiddles with the lace in her dress.....After a few moments of Silence she looks up to the Scientist, "I came down here to apologize. The way I acted towards you when I first woke up was unacceptable, you were only trying to help. And you of all people does not deserve grief I gave to you....." She let's out a heavy sigh and continues, " SkekTek, you do so much for everyone, the least I could have done was appreciate it. I'm very, very sorry.... Forgive me?"  
  
SkekTek blankly stares at the young Skeksis, letting her apology truly sink in. Nobody apologizes to him for anything. So, to have somebody look up to him and treat him with respect is very much welcomed.... and though he'll never admit it, it's very hard for the scientist to remain angry at SkekCrys for long.  
  
" You are forgiven. being incapacitated for that long must have been stressful. Just make sure you never disrespect me again." He turns and gets back to work on his machine.  
  
SkekCrys widely smiles and without thinking squeezes the scientist with all of her might.   
  
" Thank you SkekTek! I'll make sure I never do it again! I hate it when I make you feel bad!" SkekCrys holds him like this until she can hear him struggling to breathe. She lets him go, continuing to smile like a dolt. SkekTek rolls his eyes and waves the young one away. Trying not to think about the way he was just handled.   
  
Before she leaves, SkekCrys turns and says "Pleasant night, SkekTek. I hope your invention works out." And with that, she leaves. It is late in the evening now. Even though she was in a deep Slumber for 2 days SkekCrys wants to maintain her schedule. So, she heads back to her Chambers.  
  
Walking through the long, dark hallways by herself can get a little boring so she hums a tune to distract herself. She does this SkekCrys, stops in front of a door. She realizes that this door leads to the chamber where they keep the crystal.  
  
 _'Odd,'_ she thinks ' _I know the castle like the back of my hand, how did I end up here?'_   
  
  
She backs away from the door immediately. SkekCrys is forbidden to go in there without someone accompanying her. If she gets caught near this door, she will be punished for sure.  
  
She marches away from that chamber with haste, she is not in mood to get punished today, and she knows the others would be eager to do so.  
  
Once she feels she is far enough away she lets out a sigh of relief. _'that was close.'_

Now walking at a comfortable pace hums the same tune. That is until she hears a song, similar to the ethereal sound she omits when she's healing someone, but it's more powerful, it feels as if it's pulling her towards the Crystal.   
  
  
Skekcrys shakes her head and refuses its call. She is not getting in trouble today.  
  
  
She runs at full speed to her Chambers, breathing heavily, she takes a break and looks up to see that the door in front of her is not the door to her Chambers, it's the entryway to the Chamber of the crystal again.   
  
"You have got to be kidding!" She yells and runs back to her chambers, the song only getting louder. When it becomes apparent that no matter how many times she tries to go to her Chambers she will only end up here. SkekCrys gives up and flings the doors open.  
  
  
" What do you want!?" She yells directly to the crystal.   
  
" I get it! You were hurt, I was hurt too! You don't have to whine about it!" SkekCrys marches to the crystal, glaring.  
  
" Leave me alone. You know I'm not allowed in here....." she clenches her fists and looks down, " It's been a long time.... And I've missed you too, but this is the way it is." Looking up she stares at her reflection, "I know you're hurting, I can feel it. But please, I don't what to do to fix it..." she let's out a long sigh and rests her hand on the crystal.   
  
  
In an instant the Crystal reacts and a symphony of images appear in her mind.   
  
  
Rian I'm her grasp, flora and fauna acting aggressive, a glimpse of a familiar person she cannot name; They're purple and have twisted patterns decorating their flesh. Then she hears the screaming, the wails of people who cannot fight, the Clashing of swords. _**Death**_. There is so much death. The symbol she originally saw in the library of Ha'rar burns into her mind.   
  
  
It's suddenly stops, and she's knocked to the ground, tears running down her cheeks....  
  
The crystal told her what she needs to do. She needs to leave to fix this. She needs to capture Rian and make him pay for his crimes.  
  
  
And she needs to do it now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♡☆Comments breathe life into me☆♡
> 
> Baby, I don't think that's what the vision meant....?
> 
> I had a blast writing this chapter! Also the drawing for this chapter I'm really proud of. 
> 
> I really like the idea of SkekEckt being the kind of pageant/choir father of sorts. 
> 
> I also kind of fell in love with the idea that the scientist is the one that mostly raised her. He has the pets, he knows to feed things. He's perfect! ( yeet the Child at him) I think I'll get more into that on later chapters.
> 
> I thought I would explain the terminology for her stages of growth. I keep using the term fledgling and so I thought I would give ages.
> 
> Squab: 1-5
> 
> Fledging: 6-12
> 
> Adolescent: 13-19
> 
> Current age: 17-ish?
> 
> So hopefully that makes sense? Anyway I hope you like the chapter! There's more art on this blog right here 
> 
> https://insomnia-fueled-inspiration.tumblr.com/
> 
> And I'll see you guys next chapter!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the super long wait! This chapter beat the life out of me. It went through 9 rewrites, 20 something different drafts and alot of coffee. It took my friend telling me just to post the chapter and stop being such a perfectionist. So here we go. This is the draft that I'm most proud of I'm still not super excited about it but at least I'm moving the story forward.

After her vision, SkekCrys packed a small bag of things that she would need for a short journey, and one of her precious scimitars.

All she had to do was sneak through the back. Everyone else was asleep, and it's easy to not be seen by the guards when you're an expert at climbing through rafters. 

Unfortunately, there was no getting out of the castle without being seen by two guards. Usually, they would be asleep but since everything has been hectic they're Wide Awake, gossiping about the situation. 

"The Skeksis say his mind the sickness is contagious! Can you believe that?"

"Tsk....of course it is.....He is a disgrace to Stonewood.... I'm ashamed to be a part of the same Clan."

" Yeah..... it's terrible...."

" Why are we talking? He could try sneaking back in. Stay quiet and keep on guard."

They both go silent. SkekCrys has an idea.....it's unpleasant but it will work. Climbing down from the rafters quietly, she gets behind one guard and snatches them away. They make a small surprised sound, but that's it. She strangled him until he passed out.

" Everett? This isn't funny. We're supposed to be at our post!" 

_'Well great.'_ she thinks. ' _This will be a mess.'_

SkekCrys sets the guard down and tries to sneak up behind the last Gelfling. But they turn and notice 

" My lord-!?" 

SkekCrys panics and hits them in the head with her sheathed scimitar. That knocks them out pretty quickly.

She drags their bodies outside of the castle into a few bushes, making it look like they were attacked by some animal. Skekcrys apologized profusely as she was doing this, even though they couldn't hear....it made her feel better.

Now that the deed was done, it was time to start her journey. The Stonewood Clan lives within the endless Forest. And she knows that's where Rian would go first. He would try to tell his clan he isn't sick and gain sympathy. SkekCrys knows that his pleas will fail.

Making her way to the edge of the Endless forest was a hassle. There was a constant argument in SkekCrys' head. One side was telling her she should go back before she gets punished, the other half was telling her she should follow the Crystal so she can fix everything. When she makes it to the edge of the forest, everything sinks in.

Turning around SkekCrys could still see the castle..... the others will be so furious with her... If she went back now nobody would even notice. She could burn the note that she left.....She could Ignore the calls of the Crystal....

" No. I have to do this. I won't be gone for more than a day and a half. I will capture Rian.... I will fix everything!" With this newfound courage to marches into the forest without a second thought.

Once SkekCrys crossed that line the surroundings swallow her whole. There are trees that Tower over her, their braches nearly blocking out the suns. Grass, roots and moss are springing from the forest floor. The scents surrounding her are earthy and crisp. The sound of birds chirping and singing and other animals rustling around is coming from all directions.

It really wasn't her fault she got so distracted. She had to climb around in a tree. If she didn't it would be a sin. It also wasn't her fault she had to sit in the grass. It felt so nice on her feet that laying on it was inevitable. and honestly, could you blame her for skipping around like a fledgling? everything here was so amazing she was destined to lose track.

SkekCrys' excitable aloofness gets the better of her when she trips over a root, plummeting beak first into a patch of moss. But even that couldn't get her down because Moss feels so good! It's almost as soft as her bed.

A sudden Roar stops her new found giddiness. It isn't an intimidating noise, more annoying than anything. SkekCrys looks to the direction of the sound to see....a screaming fuzzball? It's brown with orange highlights and it's fur.... and it's just.... Screaming....Where had SkekCrys seen this creature before?.....

" It's a Fizzgig!!!" She screams, alarming the animal. SkekCrys gasps and claps her beak shut. 

" I'm sorry! I get loud when I'm excited. Did I fall in your territory? Oh, you must forgive me. I can be a klutz when I don't pay attention... Or I'm excited... A lot of things happen when I'm excited!" 

The young Skeksis sits on her knees dusting off her dress, viewing the animal with a smile.

The fizzgig has stopped its frantic screaming to eye SkekCrys with curiosity.. It Waddles closer to her, sniffing her dress. 

SkekCrys squeals at this, "You are so adorable! Cuter than in the illustrations! " she giggles and lifts the little ball of fuzz up. It's so tiny it fits in the palms of her hands. The creature doesn't seem to mind the intrusion, It actually purrs.

SkekCrys wonders why it's so calm. The books SkekOk would have her read say _'Fizzgig can be extremely territorial.'_ She shrugs, _'I'll write my findings later'_

"Pardon my manners, but in literature I've read about you there's usually more than one of your kind running about. Where's your family? Are you alone having an adventure like I am?" SkekCrys chortles and pets its head.

The little fizzgig seems to understand what SkekCrys was saying. It hops out of her grasp and screams again. After a few moments two fizzgig roll out of the brush. 

SkekCrys screeches, "Oh how precious!" She wants to hug and cuddle them and hold them in her beak!..... But its pack has SkekCrys remembering why she is on this journey in the first place!

" Oh, Thra! I can't believe I forgot! I have to get going. It was nice meeting you and your pack." She pets their heads and dusts off her dress. 

After walking forward for a few more hours, SkekCrys has no clue where she is. Luckily, she knew this would happen, so she pulls out a map from her satchel. She has been wandering around for half of a day already. She looks at her surroundings and back at the map. She's almost there! She moves forward with a pep in her step. Its doesn't know last long.

Now that Skekcrys isn't playing around like fledgling things get boring quickly. The suns are high in the sky, now would be the time for afternoon lessons with SkekOk....

_**Afternoon**_.

SkekCrys stops in her tracks. Her spines flaring from fear. She had told SkekEckt that she would not be late for choir practice. There's no time to go back to the castle......SkekEckt will be upset.....he'll probably punish her himself.... SkekCrys shivers at the thought of what he might do....If she returns with Rian perhaps he will be forgiving.

SkekCrys has to stop thinking of the terrifying thoughts of the ornamentalist punishing her if she wants to get to Stone-in-the-wood. So she distracts herself by running to her destination. 

Though she doesn't look it SkekCrys is fit. After years of training with SkekVar and lugging around very heavy dresses and robes for her whole life, SkekCrys can run around and swing herself from branches with ease. And she does this quickly. So quickly that she makes it to Stone-in-the-wood in less than an hour.

SkekCrys dusts off her dress and fixes her hair. She remembers that Skeksis have an appearance to uphold. After she feels that she is decent enough she makes her way into Stone-in-the-wood.

It's a quaint place, very rustic and warm like she expected. There are swords outside their homes, armor propped up to be cleaned. SkekCrys can see that strong Gelfling live here.

The Gelfling notice her presence immediately. They stay back and bow their heads. She doesn't have time for Keeping Up Appearances. The faster she gathers Rian, the faster she can go home.

SkekCrys finds the Maudra's dwelling Place easily. There's a long line of Gelfling waiting to speak to her. She Cuts in front of the line and looked directly to the guard.

" I need to speak to Maudra Fara." 

The guard nods, "Of course my lord! I'll escort you." 

Going through the long hallway SkekCrys looks at the Pretty Lights, they're filled with some flying crawlies. Entering the throne room, SkekCrys sees there are three large chandeliers filled with the same lights. 

The guard Proclaims Skekcrys arrival to the Maudra. She looks surprised. When SkekCrys walk to the middle of the room, she has to duck under the lights.

"My Lord, this is a welcome yet unexpected visit." 

SkekCrys rolls her eyes, " A lot of unexpected things have happened recently, Maudra Fara." She sighs, continuing, " I know this must be very hard for you, having one of your own Clan commit something so horrendous...." SkekCrys looks down, getting sick at the thought, " I think he may try to seek Refuge here. I need to gather to make things right."

Fara hums in thought, " he hasn't appeared. Though I am confused."

" Confused? Why?" SkekCrys asks.

Fara looks to the side and beckons someone from the shadows. Captain Ordon appears. 

" The Skeksis have already sent Ordon to gather Rian..... so, why are you here?"

SkekCrys stares at the captain with wide eyes. She forgot that the others had sent the captain to gather Rian..Letting out a heavy sigh she looks to Fara, "You have to promise not to tell anyone." Both Fara and Ordon nod.

" I had a vision, directly from the Crystal. In my vision I saw Rian...I think I'm supposed to take him back to the castle.. So without telling the other Lords... I left. I didn't know they already sent his father to take him back..." 

" I see." Ordon straightens up, " I should return to my duties at the castle." 

" No, no, no! This is good! With you here, he will be more at ease! You know Rian better than anyone. You can help me! " SkekCrys claps, " This is perfect!"

Fara agrees, "We will make accommodations for you. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for his misdeeds."

" It's all right, he's sick. It isn't your fault...I will fix him once we get back to the castle, this I promise." She smiles at the Maudra, "Now, I'm going to explore. Summon me when he arrives." She turns on her heel and leaves.

Exploring the village is an exciting experience. There are childlings running around and playing. And the smell of their cooking is intoxicating. She then catches the smell of something sweet and follows it. the smell takes her to a small cart. It carries a variety of goodies. The one that catches her eye is some glazed pastry.

"What is that?" She asks the vender, her voice laced with excitement.

" It is a sweet-tart my lord. It's made of the finest fruit my Husband and I forged in the forest." The vender says with pride.

" May I have one?" 

" My lord, you don't even have to ask! Take as many as you wish, please." 

SkekCrys picks up one of the tiny pastries. It smells sweet, with a hint of sour. It's filled with blue jelly that almost overflows off of the sides. SkekCrys takes a small bite..... it's probably one of the most delicious thing she's ever eaten. She shoves the whole thing in her beak, gobbling it up like she hasn't eaten in days.

" This is amazing!" She squeals, grabbing another one, eating it like the first. 

" I am honored you enjoy them my lord!" 

" enjoy them? That is an understatement! What is your name?" 

" M-my name? I-I am Erel, my lord." He stutters out.

" Erel! " she takes his hands, " I'm going to tell the others of your baking! You have a gift!" Giggling, SkekCrys turns to the cart, " I must take one for the road...or two.... four will do!"

The vendor is nearly crying from Joy, "Thank you my lord! It is an incredible honor that you enjoy my Goods!" 

SkekCrys Chuckles at his display, Gelfling are so endearing. 

She takes her time to explore the village. Their houses are small, not Immaculate like the Vapra. SkekCrys wouldn't be able to fit in their homes. Their buildings are built to last, not to look pretty.

Skekcrys perches under a nearby tree, pulls out her notebook and sketches, humming while she does so.

The Gelfling have been keeping their distance, which is understandable. The Skeksis have had a thousand trine to be seen and written about. SkekCrys is very young.... she's only ever left the castle once.... her existence is probably hearsay or Myth. She wishes that they would come talk to her, she has a lot to ask them but being alone is perfect for drawing.

SkekCrys has been there for what seems like hours. she's nearly finished with the drawing when a rustle catches her attention. Looking up from her sketch she sees a small childling. They have bright green eyes and long brown hair, they're holding a wooden sword and a doll. They curiously look at SkekCrys.

" Hello." SkekCrys says in a calm tone, the childling tilts their head to the side.

" Are you a Skeksis?" 

SkekCrys chuckles at their question, "Why yes I am. My name is SkekCrys, I am the youngest lord." 

The small Gelfling looks SkekCrys up and down.

" You're pretty. I've seen Skeksis before, you don't look like them. At all."

"There's a reason for that. I'm young, they're not."

" Well, yeah! The Skeksis have been around _**forever!**_ They're scary looking. But your not! You're purple! Purple isn't a very scary color."

" Well you're not wrong, I can see why you would think they're scary. But I see a lot of wisdom. They've had so much time to learn. And since they are so _**old**_ , they know almost everything! I hope that someday I will have as much knowledge as they do, maybe I'll even look like them!"

At that the childling wrinkles their nose, "I guess that makes sense but.... I still wouldn't want to look like that." 

SkekCrys smiles and sets down her book, "What is your name little one?" She asks.

" I'm Neia! Youngest daughter of Neira! And one day I'm gonna be a guard at the castle just like my mother!"

" A guard? How exciting! That is a very important role!"

" I know! I want to help protect the Lords of the Crystal! But....."

"But?"

" My brothers and sisters say that I'm too small. And that I wont be able to hold my own. But I'm as good as any Warrior!" Neia swings her sword around to prove her point.

Neia reminds SkekCrys of herself at that age. Small and excitable. Someone who would do anything to get a sword in her hands. Willing to learn about the art of swordsmanship. She was so eager....annoyingly eager. It took a trine of bugging SkekVar before he finally gave in and taught her. 

"Being small can be an advantage."

" Really?" Neia asks, clearly not believing SkekCrys.

" Yes! Believe it or not I was small like you at one point." 

Neia is in awe, " That can't be true! You're huge! You couldn't have been as small as me!" 

" Oh but I was... though, I was bigger than you when I first learned how to fight I was still tiny. But I learned something."

" What did you learn! Tell me please!" She waddles close to SkekCrys, her eyes sparkling. 

" The bigger your enemy is, the harder they fall. When you're smaller, you are faster than the large opponent. Use their height as your advantage. When I was small, I would trip my adversary or outrun them. And its easier to escape their grasp when you're small and Wiggly."

" Whoa....I didn't know that! I'm gonna use that when I practice with my siblings! When I'm old enough, you'll see me at the castle! And I'll protect you with everything I've got!" She swings her sword around again.

SkekCrys smirks, getting an idea, " Would you protect me from the creepiest Arathim?"

" Ha! Those overgrown crawlies wouldn't even dare touch you when I'm around!" Neia takes SkekCrys hand, " Quick my Lord! I'll escort you to a safe place!"

SkekCrys laughs and puts her notebook away, " Oh thank you brave captain~ lead me to safety!" Neia takes SkekCrys over to a bigger tree. SkekCrys sits down, laughing at Neia's imaginary heroism. 

While Neia was protecting her from the imaginary arathim SkekCrys climbs up a tree without a sound.

" They're all gone, my lord-! My lord?" Neia looks around, confused. SkekCrys waits until the childling is beneath her....

" SkekCrys? Where did you- AH!" 

SkekCrys swoops in front of Neia, hanging from a branch.

" Gotcha!" 

Neia fell to the ground. She stares at SkekCrys, not making a sound. SkekCrys is afraid that she might have gone a little too far. She hops down from the branch, before she can apologize Neia laughs hysterically. Her laughter is contagious. SkekCrys snorts and laughs. 

Their play time is abruptly cut short with a call.

"Neia! " a Gelfling who looks similar to Neia grabs her wrist and pulls her close to him. He looks mortified. Before SkekCrys can you say anything about it he drops to his knees.

" Please forgive her my Lord! She did not mean to bother you, she's young and doesn't know any better!"

SkekCrys looks offended for a moment. She understands what her position is, but it's not like she can't have any fun, "This childling wasn't it bothering me! We were playing. Stand up, Off of your knees. Neia did nothing wrong."

The Older Gelfling looks flabbergasted, he's stumbling over his words.

" I...I'm sorry, my lord. I just.... Usually.... I didn't think you the playing type."

"And that's understandable. My caretakers are _ancient_. They don't have time for childish things. but I do. A little fun now and then never killed anyone." SkekCrys looks the older Gelfling in the eye. " You've got a little warrior on your hands. Cultivate that. It would be a shame for that excitable Spirit go to waste."

" o-of course my Lord." He stutters out. 

SkekCrys takes a gem out of her hair and crouches down to Neia. She opens Neia's hand and places the gem there. 

" Here. When you become a guard at the castle, you can return it to me. Keep it safe, it's very precious." 

Neia's eyes light up. She grasps the gem with all she's got. 

" I promise I'll return this to you! " she hops up and hugs SkekCrys tightly, " I won't let you down!" 

For a moment SkekCrys was frozen. Physical affection was a rarity back home. It's nice. She returns the embrace, smiling. Knowing that she made this child happy warms her heart.

The happiness didn't last long when she caught the scent of anxiety fills her nostrils. The guard who escorted SkekCrys earlier arrives.

" My lord! He's here! You must hurry!"

SkekCrys nods and sets down Neia and waves goodbye, not having time for a proper farewell. She runs to the Maudra's throne room. It feels like time stops when she runs through that long hallway. Is it going to be this easy? There was more to her vision, but could this be it? She Doesn't know. 

Entering the throne room she sees Rian, standing there in front of the Madra exclaiming how the Skeksis are evil and how they killed Mira... He's worse than she thought he would be.... 

When Rian catches a glimpse of SkekCrys he freezes. She had expected this to happen. He is sick. The sight of her must be alarming.

SkekCrys slowly and calmly takes a step toward him. With a calm quiet tone she tries to talk some sense into him, "Rian.... I haven't come to hurt you. Ive come to take you home. you're not well, I can fix it." 

Rian steps away from her. " No! Stay back! You must have had something to do with it!"

SkekCrys gasps, offended that he would accuse her of somthibg so vile , " I would never! Neither would my caretakers! They care for the Gelfling! Why would they do anything to harm them?! Especially Mira! She was a good soldier!" She pauses for a moment trying to calm down. Screaming will only make him run away.

She takes a breath and continues, " Rian, you are unwell. I can fix it. If you just come back with me everything will be fixed-" 

" No! I refuse to listen to this! " he steals a sword from one guard, " stay back." Captain Ordon looks pained at his son's outburst.

" Please no one else has to get hurt." He says trying to calm down his son.

SkekCrys sighs, "You really don't want to do that. Put the sword down and we can talk about this." She takes a step forward, preparing to snatch him. He notices this and throws the sword across the room, cutting the rope that holds up one of chandeliers. Since the youngest Lord is so tall it falls on her first. The crawlies that lived within their glass confines Escape. They zap everyone in the room, especially SkekCrys.

Things happen quickly after that. She hears the guards running around, two more of the chandeliers fall to the ground tangling them. And she sees Rian escape through an opening in the ceiling. 

It takes a second for her to process what is going on. But after a few moments of getting zapped and hearing the panicked Gelfling, it hits her. He's getting away. 

SkekCrys quickly untangles herself from the ropes, ignoring the constant stinging of the agitated crawlies. Looking up at the opening where he had escaped, she angrily growls.

How dare he! First he kills Mira and then he has the audacity to blame her family for his crimes..... She had kindly asked him to come home with her... and he has to go make a mess of everything!

SkekCrys jumps up and crawls out of the opening. Her dress gets snagged on a couple of rocks but that is the least of her concerns. He's already gone, but she sniffs around for him. Once she catches his scent she chortles to herself, she will catch this murderous traitor. And everything will go back to normal.

SkekCrys runs through the forest like a predator on the hunt. She is sure that she will catch him!... Until she loses his scent..

The conflicting sounds and smells is making it difficult for her to know where he went or if he's close or not.

The suns are almost setting..... And she's no closer to finding Rian!.... this is going to be more difficult than she first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that mess! But honestly if you made it this far, thank you. I promise the next chapter is going to be so much better. At least you got some happy Good Times with SkekCrys. She is baby. 
> 
> She is a velociraptor version of a Disney princess and I live for it.
> 
> Comments fuel my battery.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back, back? back again? It is me! Almost two months later! I'm sorry for that! But, here's the chapter! the continuation of our Velociraptor Disney princess.

SkekCrys has been searching for hours but has come no closer to the Troublesome Gelfling. The young Skeksis is monumentally frustrated by this whole affair.  
  
All Rian had to do was come back to the castle peacefully. But no! Of course he had to make everything difficult. She could have been in her bed by now. Her soft... Warm... Perfect bed...   
  
This entire situation is hopeless. If she was more experienced, this mission of hers what have been completed hours ago.... but she can't give up now! Not after everything she's gone through to get this Fugitive Gelfling. If she wants to get this done, she will have to focus... Which is always been a very difficult thing for her to do. SkekTek has always said SkekCrys _'gets far too distracted by the tiniest of things.'_ Perhaps she could try something.   
  
Sitting on the forest floor SkekCrys closes her eyes. She blocks out the sounds of birds and other creatures, ignores the scent of trees and Moss. She focuses on the invisible pathway leading to the sick Gelfling. With nothing distracting her she discovers Rian's whereabouts easily.   
  
Rian has set up a camp of sorts, he's sitting in front of a fire looking paranoid. SkekCrys carefully sneaks up behind him, not making a sound. Before she can immobilize him her dress catches on a twig. That creates a loud snap. Rian whips around, sword in hand, ready to strike. SkekCrys snatches him up, he tries to escape but the young Skeksis easily overpowers him.   
  
  
She puts him in a headlock. Rian scratches at her arms but to no avail. There is no escaping her grasp. "Ssh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. All will be well soon, all will be well...." not long after she said this Rian goes still. SkekCrys makes sure he's breathing, which he is. she didn't want to kill the poor thing, only incapacitate him.  
  
She realizes that she didn't bring any rope to secure him with. The Young Skeksis didn't think any of this through. She looks at the tattered edges of her dress. That'll do nicely. Tearing a long strip off of the Garment, she ties Rian up with it. She slings the Gelfling over her shoulder and moves forward for the castle.   
  
SkekCrys is exhausted. She's been walking for hours, she hasn't slept, and she's hungry. Looking back at the 'sleeping' Gelfling, SkekCrys decides that a little rest would do her good. She finds a nearby tree to Perch on and secures Rian to the trunk. She can eat later, now she just needs a nap. SkekCrys curls up into a comfortable ball and closes her eyes.  
  
Just as she's about to get some sleep she hears Rian's panicked breathing. She peaks one of her eyes open and sees him struggling.  
  
"It's useless you know. You're not going to escape. Stop making so much noise. I am trying to sleep." She grumbles, closing her eyes.   
  
  
"I will not stop! I am not going back to the castle with you! I will make sure everyone know what the Skeksis did!" He yells, making more noise, irritating SkekCrys. She rolls her eyes and sits up, looking Rian in the eye.  
  
  
"Must you make everything so difficult? Can't you just understand that you're the one who killed Mira and damaged the crystal?" She glares, looking the annoying murderer over... She notices a bottle with a blue glowing liquid attached to his hip. SkekCrys doesn't know why but looking at it fills her chest with sadness.... she grabs the container, looking over it closely.  
  
"No! No! Don't touch that! Give it back!" Rian screams, trying to break free from his bonds.   
  
  
"What is this?" She asks, her voice cracking.   
  
"You already know what it is! Now give her back!"  
  
"Her?..." SkekCrys opens the top, sniffing the glowing liquid.... No... It can't be...  
  
SkekCrys feels sick to her stomach. She drops the bottle as if she's been burned, gagging and turning away.   
  
"What... Did you do to her!?" She screams, tears running down her face. Rian looks at her, puzzled.  
  
"You really don't know... Do you?" He asks, flabbergasted.  
  
"I think I know enough! You Did something to Mira! You damaged the crystal! You have made a mess out of everything!" She snarls, feeling the hatred burn through her chest.   
  
"It Wasn't me! It was the Skeksis! They did this to Mira. They consumed her... They did it to rejuvenate themselves!"  
  
"No! This is how I know you're delusional! They wouldn't need to do that, I Heal them enough already!." SkekCrys grabs his throat, squeezing tightly. She won't listen to any more of this.  
  
"You heal them, eh?" He wheezes, struggling to breathe, "If the Skeksis live forever...Why... Would you... Need to heal them?" He asks, his voice withering away. SkekCrys lightens the hold on his throat for a split-second, why would she have to heal them? She's always healed them..... no! No, she's not listening to this slander! She tightens the grip on his neck, watching the life slowly drain from his eyes.  
  
Suddenly hot agonizing pain flows through her body, the same she felt in the carriage. She unhands Rian, curling in on herself. She can hear someone screaming, It's Not Mira, no, it's someone else. It feels like she's being torn from the inside, something is pulling at her heart. "It Won't Stop! _**It Won't Stop!**_ " She screams, almost passing out from the agony until it suddenly stops. She gasps for air, trying to steady herself.  
  
Rian stares at her in disbelief. The healing abilities of the youngest Lord was always known. Nobody knew where it came from.... but from the looks of the way her feathers we're changing, and the glowing from her chest and eyes....  
  
SkekCrys glares at her captive, "You... You are the reason all of this is happening! You hurt the Crystal! It's in so much pain.... I can feel its sorrow, it's agony... none of this would happen if you didn't-!" She let's out a strangled gasp. It begins again, worse than last time. Her eyes clamp shut. She sees someone, a Drenchen. He's in the same pain that Mira was in..... she can feel the very life being pulled out of him... She can feel his suffering.  
  
Tightly holding the sides of her head she lets out a strangled cry, begging for anyone to make it stop, screaming for help. Nobody comes. She's left there to writhe on the ground. it abruptly ends, just like before. SkekCrys places a hand on her heart and cries. She stays like this until her world goes dark.  
  
It wasn't a dreamless slumber. Her vision plays over and over in her mind. That strange symbol burned into her subconscious, it's the last thing she sees before startling awake. Frantically looking around, SkekCrys see's that Rian has escaped. Even though her body feels like Stone and her legs feel like jelly, she has to get him. No matter what.   
  
Ignoring the constant pounding in her head, she catches his scent and follows it. SkekCrys can smell the impending rain. If she doesn't find him soon, she'll completely lose the trail.   
  
  
As she follows the trail, she catches a whiff of something else. Something familiar. It smells like... the sour stench of death, blood, and dirt..... she has smelt this before when she was younger...  
  
The realization hits SkekCrys like a rock to the Head. Her blood runs cold, Fear creeping at the back of her spine. She has to find Rian. Now.   
  
Running through the forest in a frenzy SkekCrys finds Rian running out of a Podling Tavern with his father. She jumps in front of them. The two Gelfling draw their swords.   
  
"Wait! Wait, I'm not here to hurt you! I need get you out of here! You must come with me!" She pleads.  
  
Rian gawks at the Skeksis, "Why would I go with you!? All you want to do is turn me over to the Skeksis!"  
  
"No, no! You don't understand! They've sent the Hunter after you! If I don't get you out of here soon both of you are as good as dead!"   
  
Ordon understands immediately. Looking to his son he agrees with SkekCrys, "We should follow her."   
  
"Have you gone mad!?" Rian yells, "She's a Skeksis! We have no reason to trust her!"  
  
SkekCrys growls in annoyance, "Look Rian, I fear two things in life. Number one is the Wrath of the emperor, number two is the Hunter! He is insane! He'll skin you alive, use your flesh as leather, and wear your head as a hat! I don't want that to happen to anyone, so if you want to live follow me!" Just before Rian can make a witty remark a blade hits a tree in between the three. She looks to the source of the blade and there he stands, SkekMal, one source of her nightmares for many Trine.  
  
Letting out the high-pitched whimper SkekCrys snatches both Ordon and Rian and runs full-speed in the opposite direction of the Hunter.   
  
She doesn't know how long she was running for before she set them down to catch her breath. SkekCrys knows that SkekMal isn't only there for Rian. The others must know that she is left. Why else would they send the Hunter? He would never just go after a weak, sick, defenseless Gelfing.  
  
"I think we've lost him, for now." SkekCrys wheezes out. The young Lord looks to the sheathed sword attached to her hip. Fighting the Hunter is a death sentence.... hiding like a coward seems very appealing at the moment.... maybe she could play dead? No, the Hunter is smarter than that.... there's nothing she can do. Every single idea that pops into her head leads to death. This is it. She didn't even get to say goodbye to SkekTek.  
  
Amid her frantic thoughts she notices that Rian has run off. He will get captured, and he will die. That won't do. He doesn't deserve to get off so easily... And nobody deserves to get killed by the Hunter. If SkekMal runs into her first, she can a few hits in and run away with Rian. She will most likely die, but it's the best that she can do.  
  
Running as quickly as she can muster, SkekCrys tries to find an area with enough space for her to successfully fight in. She was so focused on that task she didn't notice the plunging Terrain. She tumbles down the Rocky hill, Landing in an open area.  
  
Directly in front of her is a pit of... Teeth? oh, she's read about these before. Gobbles, carnivorous plants that will eat anything that falls into their toothy grasp. Well, good thing she didn't fall into that.   
  
SkekCrys stands, pulling her scimitar from its sheath. She hears the smallest rustle come from behind. She gulps, glancing over her shoulder.  
  
"Hello Hunter... It's been a while. How have you been? I hope you've been well." She let's out a terrified chortle, grasping her sword. " In most circumstances I would bargain for a peaceful solution but, I know that you would never listen to me so.... if it is a fight you want...." SkekCrys takes a breath and gets into an offensive stance, " I'll give you all I got." She's shaking, he notices it. SkekCrys can see the smirk underneath his mask.  
  
Deciding not to waste another moment SkekCrys pounces toward the Hunter. She swings her Scimitar toward his shoulder. Not anywhere that will kill him, just incapacitate him for a while.   
  
When she hits something it isn't the hunter. It's one of his blades, blocking her attack with relevant ease. He pushes her back, a sickening chuckle echoing from him. SkekCrys steadies herself. Lunging at him again. SkekMal moves away and trips her over with his tail. She falls to the ground with a loud thump.   
  
Before SkekMal can pounce, SkekCrys quickly gets up and charges. She lifts her sword high above her head, she makes contact, his armor cracks underneath the blade. The attack was powerful enough to push him back.  
  
SkekCrys doesn't give the Hunter an opening, she jumps in the air, preparing to land a punishing blow. This is it. There is no way the Hunter would come out of this unscathed. The sound her sword clashing with the ground rings for her ears. She had missed. The hunter moved out of her way.... her scimitar is lodged in the ground.  
  
Time ceases to move forward as SkekCrys stares death in the eye. She had expected to accept defeat, bare her neck and submit.... but no... at that moment her body is no longer her own. All she sees is red as the screaming will to survive flows through her veins.  
  
SkekCrys twists her long body and bites the juncture between the hunters neck and shoulder so hard that she hears a loud crack. She wraps her arms around him, squeezing the smaller Skeksis with all of her strength. She sees nothing at this moment, all she can hear is the hunters ragged breaths.  
  
A sudden sharp, searing pain tears through her back. She lets go of the Hunter and let's out a monstrous wail. He had stabbed her with one of his blades. SkekCrys snarls and swipes her talons at his face, taking off a hunk of his mask. She runs to attack him again....but trips on her dress. SkekMal takes this opportunity to pin the young one to the ground.  
  
The hunter presses his foot into her wound, causing her to scream out. SkekCrys cannot get up, she's never felt this much pain before. It's incapacitating. She can feel her blood oozing out of her body I'm pulling onto the floor. Her feral frenzy disappeared, it's now replaced with agony. Her vision blurs, the surroundings spin.  
  
"Get off of her you monster!"  
  
She feels the weight on her wound be lifted. Rian? No, he can't be here right now. He is going to die. SkekCrys wants to tell him to get out of here but, due to her injury and the pure exhaustion she feels from her episode earlier she can't get a word out. She lays her head on the ground, closing her eyes.  
  
SkekCrys is surrounded by the song of Thra. Slow and melodious, lulling her to sleep. It's peaceful, the pain in her back forgotten... she feels safe, Blissful....  
  
She floats in the Darkness, being embraced by its warm aura. The peaceful song is interrupted by a purple light. It glows in front of her, lowering her to its presence. The longer she stares into it, the more she feels at home. SkekCrys reaches out to touch it and the moment she makes contact she hears a voice. It's Firm, yet gentle.   
  
"Wake up," it says, "It isn't our time. Wake up."  
  
SkekCrys shakes her head. No, no, she likes it here. She doesn't want to leave. Why can't she stay?  
  
Everything comes back to her. The pain in her back, the loud sound of blades clashing, the smell of rain. Opening her eyes, skincares sees SkekMal looming over Rian. Ordon, his father quickly attacks the hunter. Trying to save his son. He's latched onto SkekMal, driving the Skeksis away. If she doesn't do something, Ordon is as good as dead.  
  
SkekCrys stands up, ignoring the pain in her back. With a low growl, she rushes toward the Hunter. This is it. At this moment she could make off with the Rian and his father. home is near! One more step and it will all be over.   
  
Just as she is about to tear Ordon away from the Hunter her skirt catches underneath her foot. SkekCrys' body lunges forward, and she knocks both of them into the nest of gobbles.  
  
She watches them get tangled up in the carnivorous plant's viny grasp. There's nothing she can do. If she were to grab them, she would sink down herself and she was _just told by a Cosmic force_ that she cannot die now. So she just watches as they sink to their deaths. Ordon is saying something, she can't hear it.  
  
SkekCrys sinks down to her knees. She's a murderer. Not only did she kill Ordon, she broke the number one rule. She just killed another Skeksis. Although SkekMal was terrifying, he didn't deserve this.  
  
What would the others do? What would SkekTek think? She can't go home....ever...  
  
Rian is sobbing. There is another Gelfing with him, SkekCrys doesn't care. She allows herself to cry. The rain falls, washing away her blood and tears. It does nothing to was away her sins.   
  
  
All of a sudden the pit of teeth starts to Warp. Both SkekCrys and the Gelfling look at the Gobbles in Surprise. What are they doing?  
  
Suddenly SkekMal emerges from the pit. He grabs Rian and climbs up a tree escaping with the Gelfling. The hunter isn't stupid, Predators always go for the weakest pray first.  
  
SkekCrys stairs off in the direction the hunter was. He isn't dead! That is a good thing! Rian is definitely dead though. There is no way he's making out of that alive. She could save him.....  
  
"Nope." She says, shaking her head. SkekCrys turns on her heel and runs full speed the exact opposite direction. There were more things to her vision anyway, and if she wants to live to fix the Crystal, she can't go after an already dead agelfling.  
  
SkekCrys does everything in her power to muffle her scent. rolling in mud, jumping in puddles. it works for the most part. Except for the fact that her wound continues to reopen and bleed causing her to leave a trail of blood..... But she doesn't think about that.  
  
One of the most prominent things in her vision was that symbol, she saw it in the library and it hasn't escaped her dreams ever since. The Sifa know everything there is to know about symbols so she's going to the coast.... And it's the farthest she can get away from the hunter in her mind so, win-win.  
  
  
She runs through the forest and tears through every obstacle, only stopping when her body gives out from sheer exhaustion. But even that doesn't last long. She cannot stop. Even if she wants to, the anxiety of getting caught by the hunter prevents her from resting.  
  
SkekCrys runs full-speed like this for two-and-a-half days. Barely eating, barely sleeping. her dress is torn and dirty, her hair is matted and Tangled. She's extremely exhausted. But she somehow makes it over the last mountain. Looking Over the Horizon she can see the Silver sea. had she made it?  
  
She stammers forward and runs into two Gelfing with red braided hair. She looks down at them, Not sure if she'll be able to speak. she lets out of shaky breath and asks, "Is this the Sifan Coast?"   
  
The winged Gelfling nods, " Aye, it is." SkekCrys lets out a cry of relief. " Thank Thra...." she smiles.... And passes out from exhaustion. The Gelfling look over her body oh, the first one is concerned. The second looks over to their companion.  
  
"How much do you think a Skeksis body will sell for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH! Look! It's finally out! I'm actually semi okay with how this turned out, I don't think it's my best but it's definitely not my worst. I hope this long of a break won't happen again. Again I'm really really sorry for that. But hopefully this makes up for it! I can't give our poor Velociraptor Disney princess a break. But, next chapter will be a little better for her!..... Maybe...
> 
> P.s. that dress! Honestly, that garment caused so much trouble! At least the evil has been destroyed.
> 
> Until next time! Remember, comments actually help me thrive.


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